Protective railing for boat hatches



May 23, 1939; I I s 1 Ew s 2,159,902

PROTECTIVE RAILING FOR BOAT HATCHES Filed July 24, 1937 Patented May 23, 1939 2,159,902 PROTECTIVE RAILING FOR BOAT HATOHES Hugh Sutherland Lewis, Rogers City, Mich. Application July 24, 1937, Serial No. 155,540

3 Claims. 7 (Cl. 114-0.5)

The invention relates to protective railing for Open hatches on lake steamers, for example, have presented a serious hazard in boat hatches.

the past, especially to those employees who are required by their duties to be on deck during the time the boat is loading or unloading. An object of the present invention is to provide a railing which will protect the employees on deck fromv the danger of open hatches.

Another object of the invention is to provide a protective railing which will be removable so as not to interfere with the loading rigs.

With these and various other objects in View, the invention may consist of certain novel features'of construction and operation, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the specification, drawing and claims appended hereto. V

In the drawing which illustrates an embodiment of the device and wherein like reference characters are used to designate like parts- Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an open hatch equipped with the protective railing of the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view showing a section of the side member of a hatch with a railing post associated therewith;

, Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of Figure 2, showing the manner of securing the railing post to the side member of the hatch;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view similar to Figure 2 but showing the railing post in horizontal position; and

Figure 5 is a perspective-view of the supporting member for the railing post.

Referring to the drawing, Figure 1 shows an open hatch ID to which the protective railing of the invention may be applied. As best shown in Figure 3, the deck ll of the boat around the periphery of the open hatch is provided with a channel member l2, said channel member being positioned so that the base of the same is flush with the opening in the deck II and thus the base of the channel members 12 may be described as defining the hatch opening. The said channel members are suitably secured as by Welding to the deck H. The numeral I4, Figure 2, indicates a hatch clamp, and I5, Figure 3, is a closure or cover member for the open hatch.

The protective railing of the invention comprises cables I6 and I! adapted to extend along the sides of the open hatch and end cables l8 that, extend across the ends thereof. The cables are connected to railing posts which are provided with eye bolts 2| at their upper ends, to which the cables are detachably secured by means of snap fasteners 22. Each railing post is tubular for the greater part of its length, having securement by means of rivets 23 to an angular base member 24. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, said base member at its lower end is provided with an elongated slot 25 and with a depending lug 2B. A supportingmember 27 is located be tween the base member and the channel I2, the said supporting member being secured to said channel, preferably by welding. .Extending from the supporting member is a pivot 28 having a threaded end 30. The railing post is supported on said pivot 28 which extends through the elongated slot 25, the threaded end 30 receiving a securing nut 3|, for retaining the parts in proper associated relation. To position the railing post 20 upright, as'shown in Figure 2, the depending lug 26 is located in the opening 32, formed in the base of the supporting member 21. By means of the pivot 28 andthe said opening 32, which receives the depending lug on the base member, the railing post is securely held in upright operative position. In this position the cables l6, I1 25 and I8 are fastened to the eye bolts provided by said posts and the protective railing will extend completely around the open hatch. When the boat is loading and the hatches are fully open, all posts and cables will be used as shown in Figure 1. When the boat is unloading and the hatches are partly open, end cables l8 are attached to the intermediate posts as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1.

When the hatch is closed by the cover members I5 the protective railing may be removed and the railing post located in a horizontal position alongside of the channel member l2. This alternate position of the railing post is made possible by the elongated slot 25 and by the stop lug 33 fixedly secured as by welding to support 27. The railing post is first released by upward movement of the post, which movement is permitted by slot 25, the same having the effect of removing the lug 26 from the opening 32. The post can now be rotated on the pivot 28 which rotation is permitted until the post is substantially horizontal, whereupon the base member 24 will engage the stop lug 33. The railing post is thereby supported in a substantially horizontal position alongside of the channel l2.

The invention is not to be limited to or by details of construction of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated by the drawing, as

of each member, meansadapted to .beifixed to the exterior of each member for supporting :each' post individually, said means providing a pivot and having an opening therein below the piV0t,-=- the base of said post also having an elongated opening therein for associating said post withthe pivot, and means depending from-the, base of said post and extending into the opening in said first mentioned means for holding the post": in upright position, said post being releasablev from its upright position by upward bodily movementpermitted: by isaid elongated openings 2; Inaa protective railing for boat=hatches hav-"" ing a members defining the periphery "Ofithhatch; comprising a plurality oizsupportingmembers secured dzousaid .first. mentionedimember atzspaced' poi-ntszaround. .ther exteriorthereofl eachasupport-z 1 ing: im'emb'er providing ,;a pivot; andia :base .afiangex havinglan opening-lthereinbelowthe pivot, a rail?- ingarpost; associated each'rpivotiandw having/1:

rotation on said pivot and also bodily movement with respect thereto in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said post, whereby said post may be positioned upright or horizontal, in which latter position said post is inoperative, and a lug depending from the base of said post adapted to extend into the opening in the base flange of the supporting member for rigidly holding the railingrpost in upright position.

3. In a protective railing for boat hatches havinga member defining theperiphery of thehatch, comprising a plurality of supporting members secured to said'first mentioned member at spaced points around the exterior thereof, each supportingmemberproviding-a pivot and a base flange having an -opening .=,therein below the pivot, a railing post associated with each pivot and having=rotationon'said pivot and also bodily movementwith. respect thereto in the direction of the longitudinal axis of said post, whereby said post 20 may. be positioned:.-upright orihorizonta'hiin which latteripositionz'said; post tis:inoperativewadug de-s pending-i from "then base; of said apost adapted: to

extend:intoztheopeningin' the base fiange of the. supporting'member for rigidly. holding ithearailingspost in upright: position; .and-sa stops lug pro'a-w vided :by saidsupp-orting membexa-for-supportinga; thei-postain'horizontat.position.

HUGH LEWIS. 

